# shop

/ˈʃɑp/ (US) · /ʃˈɒp/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/shop
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. a place to buy things

noun · CEFR A1

a building or website where you can buy goods or services.

For teachers: a physical or digital establishment where goods or services are offered for sale to the public.

- I need to go to the grocery shop to buy some milk and bread.
- The small independent book shop struggled to compete with the aggressive pricing of major online retailers.

### 2. a workshop

noun · CEFR B1

a place where people make or fix things, like a garage for cars.

For teachers: a room or building where manufacturing, repairs, or manual crafts are carried out.

- He spent the whole afternoon in his wood shop building a new table.
- The mechanic spent hours in the body shop repairing the dented wing of the vintage sports car.

### 3. the act of shopping

noun · CEFR A2 · British English

the activity of going to buy things, especially food for the week.

For teachers: the act or instance of purchasing goods, particularly routine domestic supplies.

- I usually do the weekly shop on Saturday mornings when it is quiet.
- After completing the heavy grocery shop, she realised she had forgotten to buy the most essential ingredient for the dinner party.

### 4. work talk

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

talking about work when you are not at work.

For teachers: discussion regarding professional or business affairs, especially when conducted outside of working hours.

- We promised not to talk shop during our holiday dinner.
- Even at the wedding reception, the two lawyers couldn't help but talk shop, much to the annoyance of their partners.

Usage: Usually appears in the phrase 'talk shop'.

### 5. to buy things

verb · CEFR A1

to visit stores or websites to look at and buy things.

For teachers: to visit commercial establishments with the intent of browsing or purchasing merchandise.

- We like to shop for clothes at the mall on the weekend.
- Many consumers now prefer to shop online for electronics to easily compare specifications and user reviews across different brands.

### 6. to report someone

verb · CEFR C1 · British English · Slang

to tell the police or authorities that someone has done something wrong.

For teachers: to inform an authority about someone's criminal activities or whereabouts.

- He was angry because he thought his friend had shopped him to the police.
- The thief was eventually caught after an anonymous tipster shopped him to the local authorities for a reward.

## Examples

- I need to go to the shop to buy some milk.
- The local coffee shop is always busy on Saturday mornings because they bake fresh bread.
- While the retail shop occupies the front of the building, the rear houses a fully equipped machine shop where custom parts are fabricated to order.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.